Final Fantasy Main Story RP ARC VII

Zack heard the shift of fabric and his brows knotted together before he turned his head to the side.He found himself looking at Sephiroth before he lifted his head slightly.Zack was on the verge of sleep so close and he knew Rufus would not let him sleep till they had that talk...

"Seph..." Zack motioned to the tossed up piece of paper on the floor. "Rufus thinks we need to talk."He let out a dry laugh. "I'm dead tired and I can say you're probably in the same boat as me."Zack unmoving just kicked his boots off the edge of the bed before sliding under the covers.

"But we gotta talk." He pulled the blanket over his head. Then it clicked.One bed. A double bed and he felt his face heat up. "Damn you Rufus..."He face planted the mattress with a groan.

Sephiroth drew back away from the broken weapon with a final touch to the cool metal as he heard the movement and Zack's voice. After what had happened, battling Zack for that one time and the battle against Jenova, his mind was shattered. He didn't want to think about what Rufus had planned or what he thought, he just wanted to let his mind rest. And after that then he could use SOLDIER to find a way to protect Zack.

"I will find a cot of some sort somewhere or enough padding to take the floor."

If Rufus had assigned them the same room he already saw the problem. One bed. One double bed but still one bed. It meant either sharing the bed with his friend, his friend who not long ago had kissed him, or one of them taking to the floor. "Sleep for now there will be time to discuss things later."

Sephiroth did not know for certain when he would depart for Wutai but there was time until that. Turning he stepped away from the shattered blade and moved towards the door.

Zack couldn't even protest as Sephiroth moved to the door, he found he had no energy to even move.It was his own fault for being on the go. It was like that back in the old days of ShinRa as well.Not much changed... except maybe a rank or two without his knowledge.A Jenova possessed state here and there...

"Mmm okay... But stay clear of Rufus or he will accuse to you of avoiding the situation."Zack smiled before burying his face into the soft mattress. "But what do I care... I need sleep."Zack could only assume that Sephiroth probably felt the same way.The sooner they rested the sooner he could get back to training Denzel with his full strength.

Sephiroth gave the briefest of nods as he stepped forward. He let his head drop as he walked forward. He would deal with the conversation after Zack had rested, something that needed to be sorted. Maybe if this was figured out his mind would quit wandering and that need to protect him would end. The threatening of Rufus, the decision to use SOlDIER as he would...

It had to stop. He could not allow Zack's presence to decide how he used this power.

Stepping towards Kadaj's room he looked towards the teen in the bed. She had taken so much from them all.

Reno looked down at the weapon and then in the direction Rufus' voice had come from. He knew that Zack had gotten there with a few others long before they had even left and would have grabbed a room for himself by now.

With a groan he hoisted the sword again and dragged himself to the staircase before deciding it would not be a good idea at all to even try. It took him less than 30 seconds to decide that it could go in the sitting room and that would be that, and many seconds more to actually get it there.

Once it was suitably placed in a safe place he dragged himself in the general direction he had seen Sephiroth take Kadaj, glancing into every room until he found the right one.

"I put the sword in the sitting room - I ain't even trying to get it the stairs."

As Reno spoke behind him Sephiroth lifted his head in response. "I see... I'll move it to his room myself."

There was plenty of time now that Zack was asleep and there would be no need to leave for Wutai until he was rested. And there was still the conversation that it seemed Rufus was demanding they have before the departure. Already there were things to do and he had only been the leader of SOLDIER for a matter of hours. This conversation he knew however had nothing to do with SOLDIER. It was about whatever Rufus thought was going on between himself and Zack.

It could be dealt with later.

"You best get your rest like the others we will be leaving for a mission as soon as possible."

Reno silently observed the man he had come to loathe the thought of, and detest the sight of. Nothing can come good of him - those were the only words that kept running through his mind, images of Sector 7, the Northern Cave, Midgar in ruin... The Temple...

It was true that he could have coped with everything else, but it was what he had done at the Temple that was unforgivable. Sephiroth had betrayed a friend, attacked him and left him to die... which he had. It was a miracle that he had been bought back to life.

Simply being in the same room as the General bought back the memory of the blood on his skin, soaking his clothes and making them cling to his slender frame; he could swear that he could feel it all as though he was back at the Temple and everything since had been a flash of what could have been.

His chest ached and it took all his training to remain standing as though nothing at all was wrong with him.

Sephiroth's gaze flickered to the Turk at his sudden refusal. Their hatred was fine, he did not expect to be forgiven for his actions. His redemption was a personal quest and it meant nothing to those around him. This redemption was only to redeem himself before the lifestream and only then did any have any right to judge.

"You may wish to speak with Rufus concerning that. He has already offered the use of Tseng and yourself for a required mission."

Reno's eyes closed with a soft sound of annoyance - it seemed typical that Rufus wouldn't pause to think that it might be a bad idea to force the two to spend time together. There was only so much Tseng could take, and with everything that had just happened he assumed that his threshold might be a little lower than usual.

"I'll be having words with him then," Reno said with a curt nod, "because Tseng is going no where with you."

Rufus sat at the kitchen table just drinking his coffee. Every now and again he'd pull out his phone to see if there was any status update from the WRO and Reeve.There was nothing, it was the most quiet his phone had been since he went into hiding.Looking to where Dark Nation sat at his feet, he gave him a quick scratch under the chin.

If Zack was asleep then perhaps it was time to pay Denzel a visit for an update on the mako treatment. Since the last one had indeed been rushed. Even if it had been earlier that day.Rufus needed a reason to keep the boy behind and a mako treatment would work.Something to make sure Zack did indeed come back and not run off.

Finishing his coffee he rinsed the cup out and set it in the sink before moving out of the kitchen.He could hear Sephiroth and Reno from where he was. He let out a breath knowing the argument Reno would make.Rufus would have to tell the red head to suck it up and just deal with this. Sephiroth needed his sword repaired.Rufus wasn't about to let him go off on his own either and Zack could swing sides with just a whisper from Jenova.

It was best Sephiroth watched Zack. He was the only one trained enough to counter that.But it was best Tseng led Sephiroth into Wutai and with that he knew where Tseng went Reno would go.To explain that to the red head given the history of it was just a head sore.So instead Rufus avoided them and headed down the hall guessing Denzel's room would be close to Zack's.

Such an upstart would not have lasted long under his command. While he did not mind personality or even a pension for trouble outright refusal of orders was dangerous on the battlefield. However with a visit to Wutai necessary there was not much choice in the matter. A guide would be neccessary as even before he summoned meteor he had not been on their list of favorite people.

Slowly Sephiroth's gaze turned back to the teen within the bed. It was just another memory of what he had done just as Reno's words had been. If Rufus still held his order he would have to make the Turk understand that his orders were to be followed whether he wanted to or not.

Sephiroth stepped over to the bed and took a seat on the edge as his head fell. Exhaustion was dragging at him again now that he had stopped fighting. Every moment blackness threatened to claim him more. Never before had he been so weak, so vulnerable, all because of what she had stolen from him.

Denzel stopped mid punch as he heard the sound of footsteps outside his door. Muscles tensed and he blinked for a moment as he turned towards the doorway and his hand dropped. He could do this, could get stronger, just as long as he kept fighting. His eyes flickered towards the doorway and then slowly approached it, pulling the jacket back on.

He grabbed a towel from the cupboard and wiped the sweat from his skin as he stepped out into the hallway and saw Rufus there.

Denzel knew he had to quit being so jumpy. Nothing bad was going to happen there. They were safe, or at least he hoped so. "Is Cloud here yet?"

Metal shoes quietly clinked through Healin lodge, the noise barely louder than a whisper for the gunslinger was, unsurprisingly, good at being silent. The hallways seemed deserted, so Vincent could only assume that everyone were in rooms already and if they were in rooms, perhaps it would not be best to disturb them to find out information about what had happened during the time that Chaos had control over his body.

He searched for Yuffie, knowing that the young ninja was too... Energetic, to simply stay in her room. No doubt she'd be exploring the area, which meant that she would be able to give him the information he desired - she was the head of espionage and intelligence gathering in the WRO, so she would deffinately know what had been happening.

Then footsteps stopped outside an open door in which an unconscious Kadaj lay, and Reno seemed to be talking to Sephiroth, Lucrecia's son... He really had changed. As far as the ex-Turk knew, Sephiroth hadn't hurt a single soul in his new life, and it really did seem as if he was trying to seek redemption. It made him seem more human, and more like the son of the woman he once loved, rather than the monster he once was.

Should he tell the General about his parents? About how he came to be? Everyone deserve the right to know who their real parents are, and Vincent thought that Sephiroth would like to know about his true mother, the beautiful scientist who had a special place in his heart, and how kind and gentle she had been before Hojo used her for his experiments and grew into a depressed, self-loathing woman...

No. It would be a bad idea to explain this to Sephiroth. Not only would the silver-haired man have to learn about his mother's tragic end, but he would also have to discover that his father was Hojo, and who knew what that would do to his psyche! It would be best that Sephiroth didn't know, for now at least.

Letting out a silent sigh, Vincent continued his search for Yuffie, deciding to focus on acquiring information.

Reno followed Sephiroth's gaze to Kadaj who was still completely out of it. His breathing was of a concern to him, and while he didn't care if the boy lived or died he knew that most everyone else had some stake in whether he lived.

With a resigned sigh he went over to watch the breathing properly, frowning as he went from hyperventilation to apnea - he had hoped that it would at least be shallow breaths but it was a complete cease in breathing.

"Cheyne-Stokes respiration," he muttered, running his fingers through his hair at the implications of noticing it. It was most likely that whatever Jenova did had caused brain-stem damage, or a herniation.

It wasn't officially a coma, yet, as he had not been in the state for 6 hours or longer... but Reno had the sad feeling that it was definitely the road headed down.

"Look, go sleep," he said eventually. "You're no good to anyone if you pass out and the kid isn't going anywhere. I'll keep an eye on him."

"Sleep isn't likely unless I bother Rufus for a cot. He seems to believe that along with his orders to keep an eye on Zack that should include sharing not only a room but a bed as well," Sephiroth slowly stood and moved forward. As loathe as he was to admit it Reno was right. The exhaustion was dragging at him and though he had had more sleep than Zack after the fights of the day he was being dragged down.

Such pitiful human weakness had become his after she took every last one of her cells from his body. Now he was human, nothing more but a mako-strengthened human. She had ripped that divine power from his grasp.

All he knew was this weakness now and a realization that the human race truly was fragile and he was now as he should have been. One of them, ruled by emotions, emotions that it seemed Rufus desired to spur on. "He may believe there is something between myself and Zack given his reactions to certain things."

Reno closed his eyes with a sigh - it was hard to talk to Sephiroth and not be simultaneously reminded of how they used to be as colleges and what he had done since Nibelheim.

"Take my room," he found himself saying. He slowly raised his eyes to meet Seph's. "Look, I am still beyond pissed with you and that's going to take a shit ton of time to work through... but I've never been an asshole. I'm not going to put you in a position you're not good to be in yet... and from the looks of it in bed with Zack is one of those positions."

He went to the window and hopped up, perching on the window sill, his hands holding the edge as he looked at Seph. "Funny that Tseng is more ready to move past it than I am... he's the one who died, not me."

The General's gaze flickered towards Reno at the sudden offer. Either the Turk did not consider Zack as great a threat as Rufus seemed to or for some reason was actually aiding him even though Rufus had placed him in that room.

"I am not seeking forgiveness or even kindness from anyone. I am aware that I owe a great deal to this planet. Because of that I seek my redemption by continuing on this path," it would be difficult to say those words, nearly impossible as there had never been any sort of need. But there had never been a need for guilt before either, guilt that seemed to eat at him now.

These emotions seemed to encompass him so often since his revival and every day more were added. Had his Jenova cells aided in blocking even feeling them? It didn't matter. "For what it is worth I regret what I had done to him. I..." Sephiroth paused as he searched for the words. Everything had been concrete before, he dealt in facts not feelings. "... am sorry for what I did. But that changes nothing. It is why I do not seek to be forgiven by any."

Reno gave a flickering smile. He could tell that these were things he wasn't used to saying, perhaps even feeling. An apology wouldn't make everything right, he was correct, but it did seem to soothe some of what Reno was feeling.

"For what it's worth hearing that kinda helps," he said, sighing and slipping from the window sill. He couldn't get comfortable, but it was no surprise. He was exhausted but wired. It would be a while before he wound down enough to be able to relax and sleep.

"I'm stupidly protective of him... even though he doesn't need anyone looking over him," he admitted quietly. "That saved him, though... and now I'm reluctant to let him out of my sight in case it happens again. Not you, necessarily but someone. It doesn't matter how good we are if we're caught completely off guard."

He rubbed his eyes and stretched. "If blondie's assumptions amount to anything then you'll learn about that before long." He gave a soft chuckle; it didn't take much for him to assume what the 'something' was, Rufus was annoyingly talented at picking up on those things even when it wasn't made obvious. Then, with Reno, how he felt for Tseng was as glaringly obvious as the hair on his head.

"Always have someone to guard your back. That is one of the first rules of combat, no matter how skilled one is." It was a simple rule, one of the first he had learned so many years ago. It had been before Reno, even Tseng had joined Shinra, when Rufus was still nothing but a child and Genesis and Angeal still lived in Banora. He had been nothing but a child then but never had he questioned as to why he was early instructed the ways of war.

It was also one he had not always taken into account on his missions.

Nothing was said about his threatening of Rufus or his desire to use SOLDIER to make sure Zack was safe. Nothing could be said of it and Sephiroth turned. "I will take the offer of the bed and the break. Contact me if Kadaj's status changes."

Giving orders, that was a safer area for him. He had apologized, a first in his lifetime, and the world had not ended though it was something he would not repeat too often. Rather he would continue to work for his redemption. This was the only way he could repay the planet for what he had done.

Reno looked over to Kadaj again and gave a sad sigh. "Seph, at this point it'll be a miracle if he ever wakes up."

There wasn't any point in lying to him or giving him the expectation of something that might never happen. They had both been around injury and death often enough, but this sort of injury the TURK was more familiar with.

"If anything changes you'll be the first I get," he assured nonetheless. "Just take a shower and get some sleep. You'll feel a bit better after that."

It was a miracle in the fact that Kadaj was even still alive. What Jenova had done could have all too easily brought about instant death in the other. Leaving the room the exhaustion seemed to grow and Sephiroth stripped in order to take a shower. The cure within the room had taken care of most residual injuries from Jenova's attacks, only a hint of the deep burns from the Beta attack remained still upon his skin.

The aches, exhaustion, injuries, they were all a distinct reminder that he was very human now. Sephiroth stepped under the spray and let it wash over his body as eyes shut. It beat upon his back as the long process of showering began. There was barely any attention paid to it outside of the actions that seemed automatic, even drying his hair so it didn't drip and dressing in the pants once again.

His body reminded him too clearly that he had been running on adrenaline for too long that day and finally he allowed his body to collapse into the bed. Once there had been a time when he could go much longer without sleep but he hadn't been battling and the knowledge of the truth of his existence had been like a drug. It had kept him breathing in the desperate search for the truth.

Rufus looked at Denzel and he shook his head."I'm afraid not." He didn't really know what he could say to ease the boy's anxiety about Cloud.He didn't want to say that Cloud could be sleeping off unconsciousness either."If it makes you feel any better I haven't heard from Reeve either."He set a hand on Denzel's shoulder. "I need to ask how yo're feeling though?"

Denzel stared down for a minute and nodded. He knew he shouldn't worry, Cloud was always okay, but he did. Too many people had died for him. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if Cloud's name was added to that list no matter how much the man didn't want to see him. Eyes shut for a moment and then he looked up. "I'm feeling much better sir, not sick at all."

Zack had told him to get strong without her, had told him he had to focus on his weaknesses. He had to be strong, had to quit acting so shy in battle. This was a first step to become brave enough to not pause.

"That's good I assume the absence of her cells has weakened you a bit. Not that it will hinder any chances of your SOLDIER application."He guided Denzel down the hall. "I'm going to be sending Zack on a mission with Sephiroth to Wutai." He explained."You just started your Mako treatment so it would be unwise to send you with them. So I'm going to give you the full and proper first treatment now."It would be wiser to do so while Sephiroth and Zack were both resting unable to protest this motion. "So if you need to eat something."

Rufus opened the kitchen door. "Eat now... because you will not be able to eat until after the assessment tonight.""I'm going to set up the treatment, so find something that you think will last you and that has less of an inclination to double back on you."The cupboards were still stocked up from the past week the milk probably the only thing close to going off."Make sure it is pretty solid and heavy, harder to break down. Liquids will not do for this treatment."

Denzel gave a slow nod as he listened to Rufus explain it. He didn't like the idea of being separated from Zack so soon but it was what he had to do. Finally the blue eyes flickered up and followed Rufus closely. For the moment he tried to push Cloud's fate out of his mind and it was made easer as Rufus mentioned a full treatment.

If only a partial treatment had made him that sick he was a bit worried.

He followed him into the kitchen and nodded his head briefly as he searched through the fridge and final found some meat that would probably fit. As he swallowed it was like a kick to his gut but it was nothing more than that, a reminder that it had been a while since he had eaten a proper meal. It churned his stomach but Denzel quickly pushed it out of the way.